02.23.13
How Many Living People Were Born in the 1800s?
According to Wikipedia, there are twelve living people born in the 1800s:
| # | Name | Sex | Birth date | Age | Residence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiroemon Kimura | M | 1897 April 19 | 115y 310d | Japan |
| 2 | Misao Okawa | F | 1898 March 5 | 114y 355d | Japan |
| 3 | Maria Redaelli-Granoli | F | 1899 April 3 | 113y 326d | Italy |
| 4 | Elsie Thompson | F | 1899 April 5 | 113y 324d | United States |
| 5 | Jeralean Talley | F | 1899 May 23 | 113y 276d | United States |
| 6 | Susannah Jones | F | 1899 July 6 | 113y 232d | United States |
| 7 | Bernice Madigan | F | 1899 July 24 | 113y 214d | United States |
| 8 | Soledad Mexia | F | 1899 August 13 | 113y 194d | United States |
| 9 | Evelyn Kozak | F | 1899 August 14 | 113y 193d | United States |
| 10 | Mitsue Nagasaki | F | 1899 Sept. 18 | 113y 158d | Japan |
| 11 | Emma Morano-Martinuzzi | F | 1899 Nov. 29 | 113y 86d | Italy |
| 12 | Grace Jones | F | 1899 Dec. 7 | 113y 78d | United Kingdom |
These are the verified people, which means that the Gerontology Research Group has validated at least three documents mentioning their date of birth. Wikipedia lists at least 50 others whose claims do not meet this stringent standard.
So how long will it be until we can completely close the door on the 19th century? Wikipedia gives the odds of surviving your 114th and 115th years as about 30%, in which case we’d expect the last survivor to die in the next three years. On the other hand, if Grace Jones turns out to be another Jeanne Calment, then we may have to wait another ten!
Update (August 2013): this list is down to eight.